Hi Res Texture Pack

[Muzetta]

You can thank the PS3 for it. They had to scale down the overall quality of the game so the PS3 could even handle it.

[Nekodar]

You can thank the PS3 for it. They had to scale down the overall quality of the game so the PS3 could even handle it.

So why is PC quality >> PS3 quality today then?

They had to make something that was maintainable and scalable, which the old engine was NOT, and they had to do it in insanely short time.

[Vahlnir]

So why is PC quality >> PS3 quality today then?

They had to make something that was maintainable and scalable, which the old engine was NOT, and they had to do it in insanely short time.

To be fair, the PS3 is somewhat limited as to what it can handle. With XIV, any PS3 is running it at it's limit system-wise, and even then it isn't always stable (see lower framerates, lag, and various load times.) The hardware isn't fully equipped for the game as it stands now. It runs, but it isn't always pretty, though still impressive all things considered. As far as the PC version is concerned, the sky is the limit as to what it can do, depending on the PC of course, with the PS4 not far behind at the moment. SE did well with the time they had but there's certainly room for improvement. They are making such improvements with each patch though, so things are slowly being worked out for every platform. As to the actual quality of the game itself, there's no real difference between all 3 platforms. It has been a pretty big hit so they must be doing something right. But they did have to work things around so the PS3 could run it, which some people resent.

[Shioban]

Options people options.

PS3 have their dx9 client. Why cant we PC players have a proper dx11 client? We know what Yoshida thinks about "graphic obssesion". But, dx11 is today standard, having a texture pack, a properly running dx11 client wouldnt hurt anyone... Tho i would not make this rise even more, maybe SE would even find a way to sell a "FFXIV:HD" for PC players....

If you'd done even a minimal amount of research you'd have found that a Hi-Resolution Texture Pack along with a DX11 client are currently being produced.

You can thank the PS3 for it. They had to scale down the overall quality of the game so the PS3 could even handle it.

Texture Quality on the PC version had absolutely nothing to do with the PS3, but to do with;

[1] Keeping the Client Small
(Having a 50-60GB client just to house your high resolution textures on a 'brand new game' to some is a no-no. People won't download it.

[2] Reducing the GPU memory impact per area
Textures in general can have a HUGE footprint on memory,

[3] Lower the overall hardware requirements for the base PC users
The games current client runs on a VERY wide range of PC's as well as console hardware, on top of texture resolution, keeping a lower poly-count on the geometry in the scene gives a lot of breathing room for expansion and additions in the future, with an MMO you ALWAYS look to the future and consider "Is there enough space for more?"

[4] Performance > Quality
This MMO is largely based around reaction-timing, having a client that performs optimally is important, the PS3 had A LOT of work done to beat down the client to the point where it ran between 15-30FPS, this included a seperate client specifically for the PS3 with a heavily compressed array of assets.

Performance is always better to achieve first than quality. Quality can come later.




As the developers weren't 100% sure if the game would even be a remote success once remade, balancing more towards performance than quality was the key-role in the development of ARR.

Having a client that runs on a vast majority of PC's was much more important than finite visual fidelity.




That being said, now that the game has proven to be a booming success, it's as simple as replacing the compressed texture-maps with uncompressed or slightly less compressed textures (which will take some time).

but nobody can dispute the fact that to this day it is the best looking mmo.

Easily disputable. I've played many MMOs in the past few years which can easily match along side FFXIV.

It's arguably one of the best looking MMOs, but to say "It is the best" would be an opinion, to say "No-body can dispute" is a bit silly.